In a retail store, if an item is not available on the sales floor while the retail store is open to customers, there is a risk of losing sales of the item because a customer that wishes to purchase the item is not able to find the item on the sales floor. The risk of losing the sale may exist even if the item is stocked in the stockroom of the retail store, because the customer may not be able to or wish to wait for the item to be restocked on the sales floor. During peak sales days, losing sales of an item because the item's shelf space is empty may negatively affect the retail store's financial bottom line.